Courts promote openness
- Source: Global Times
- [02:12 March 16 2010]
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After attending a 20-minute public hearing, Li Shuanglin of Suzhou in southeast Jiangsu Province learned why his real estate case against his friend was thrown out.
This wasn't always the case.
The brief public hearing saved Li more than 20,000 yuan ($2,928) in legal expenses. That's because instead of going through costly formal proceedings, Canglang District People's Court helped Li handle his problem by negotiating.
"Li insisted on suing his friend so we decided to open a public hearing to better explain judicial proceedings," Pan Zheng, a senior presiding judge, told the Xinhua News Agency.
Chinese judges traditionally inform a plaintiff in writing about whether or not their case has been accepted. There was hardly any face-to-face meeting.
However, things are changing. Starting this month, local courts have conducted some hearings to help people understand the process and at the same time, judges tell them how to solve their disputes outside of court.
"The public hearings could bring about a more transparent and open judicial system while helping parties resolve their disputes in a more rational way," Pan said.
A report delivered by the Supreme People's Court (SPC) to the National People's Congress (NPC) on Thursday listed judicial openness and judicial democracy as a top priority as its work this year.
The SPC's President, Wang Shengjun, said in his report that judicial organs should work in an open and transparent way.
Improving judicial openness and transparency is the best way to win public trust in the country's judicial system and prevent corruption, said Ma Huaide, vice president of China University of Political Science and Law.
"The public is asking for a right to know, so the judicial system should act in accordance with the trend," Ma said.
The SPC issued regulations last year to promote the practice of publicizing the court verdicts online and broadcasting trials live over the Internet.
From the beginning of this year, people's courts in Shaanxi Province have put their verdicts online, excluding those cases where national and commercial secrets were at stake or citizen's privacy would be compromised.
"Publicizing the verdict is not enough. More openness is needed throughout the entire judicial procedure, from the police investigation to court proceedings," Ma Huaide said.
"But the media might affect a judge's ability to make a fair decision, therefore it is imperative that public participation and media supervision does not interfere or jeopardize the independence and fairness of the judicial system," he added.
Xinhua
